Under the title "At a Critical Time: Iranian Quds Force Commander Arrives in Baghdad," Al-Arabiya reported that the commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Ismail Qaani, arrived in Baghdad just hours after an assassination attempt on Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Blame has been directed at Iran-aligned armed factions, particularly following a campaign of incitement against the prime minister that began over a week ago.
Upon his arrival early Monday, Qaani held a meeting with faction leaders, according to Al-Arabiya's sources, though no further details were provided. The timing of the visit is laden with implications, coming just hours after Kadhimi's residence was targeted by drones, which are typically used by the "loyalist" factions in previous attacks against U.S. interests or military bases housing American troops.
Additionally, this visit follows a sustained escalation by supporters of the Fatah Alliance, the political representation of the Popular Mobilization Forces, regarding the results of the parliamentary elections held on October 10, which showed a significant decline for them, resulting in a painful loss of one-third of the seats they won in the previous elections.
Reactions from factions aligned with Iran regarding the targeting of the prime minister varied from timid condemnation to mockery and skepticism. The spokesperson for the Hezbollah Brigades, known as "Abu Ali al-Askari," mocked the assassination attempt, stating that "nobody in Iraq wishes to lose a drone to the house of a former prime minister." In contrast, Qais al-Khazali, the Secretary-General of "Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq," condemned the targeting if it was intentional, as he expressed.
However, no armed faction has claimed responsibility for the attack, but attention and accusations quickly turned to those groups affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces, particularly since the attack occurred shortly after they pledged to "punish" Kadhimi in response to the killing of one of their leaders during confrontations with security forces near the Green Zone over the weekend.
